More attention is being heaped upon metal-bristled grill brushes, this time by elected officials concerned about public safety.
A United States senator is asking the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to look into the safety of grill brushes with metal bristles. Last week, Consumer Reports brought citizens word of two separate incidents in which the metal bristles from a grill brush actually became dislodged from the brush itself and stuck inside of food. The bristles were then ingested by individuals and punctured the inside of the consumers’ intestines. They had to undergo emergency surgery to have the dangerous items removed.
The senator wasn’t alone in his call to action. The program director of Consumer Reports’s advocacy arm, known as Consumer Unions, also wants the federal agencies to look into the safety of these items. He said that there exists a serious hazard when the bristles come off of food, as demonstrated by the surgeries mentioned above. In addition to the hazard posed when the bristle gets into the digestive tract, anyone who swallows the bristles could also choke on the item.
The FDA and CPSC have received a letter from the concerned senator calling for a review and a warning to all consumers.